Life story of the late Jacob Hendrik Prai
Born: 17/07/1942 Died: 26/05/2022
He was born in Ubrub willage, Web district in Keerom regency of West Papua
His tribes extend as far as Sandaun province of PNG like Kembie, Kambratoro, Amanab, Scotiau and Green River etc
When he was 9 months old, his mother or my grandmother could not breast feed him well because she was pregnant with my mother. The missionary’s wife Aguntina Mehue-Ibo took him and breast fed him.
In those early years, there were missionaries working in our district. There was a pastor and his wife who were from Sentani in Jayapura, West Papua. They felt sorry for my grandmother and took my uncle and looked after him while doing their missionary work in our district.
When it was time for them to go back to Jayapura, they told my uncle’s parents that they would put him to school and when he grows up, and he will come back to see them. My grandparents wanted him to have better education, so they allowed the missionary couple, Aguntina and Bapa Ibo to take him to Jayapura.
My uncle was brought up by this missionary family from Sentani. In the letter he sent to me which I misplaced it somewhere, he said the missionary's name is Bapa Ibo, and his wife is Aguntina Mehue Ibo. He enrolled him at the first Dutch primary school in Yoka, Sentani. He had many friends from Sentani and Jayapura district. Many people thought that he was a local boy from the area.
After he finished school, he got accepted to do
Bachelor of Law degree at University of Cendrawasih in Jayapura. While studying at the university, he was among others selected to work in Netherlands New Guinea Bank in Jayapura.
Upon completion of his study, he was still at the university when the Indonesian government organised the fake referendum . During those early years, the people of West Papua were looking forward to Independence and were excited because the Dutch government had prepared West Papuan leaders to lead their own country and had set up a body called New Guinea Raad. It is like a Papuan parliament.
However, their dream and hope for Independence were short lived. Indonesia had organised a sham referendum where only 1025 Papuans were handpicked by the Indonesian military to vote at gunpoint. There was no proper vote where every adult over the age of 18 would take part in the vote. The Indonesian government knew that if it had followed the UN system of voting, the people of West Papua would 100% vote for independence.
The news broke out throughout West Papua that West Papua will become a province of Indonesia and there will be no independent West Papua. The students at University of Cendrawasih organised big demonstrations throughout the city of Jayapura . My uncle Jacob Prai was one of the student leaders and they organised a mass protest rally to dispute and reject the result of the referendum because the Indonesian government violated the 1962 New York agreement where it clearly stated that every adult Papuans would be given an opportunity to participate in the referendum vote.
On 1st July 1971, Mr Seth Rumkorem and Mr Jacob Hendrik Prai proclaimed the West Papuan independence.The Proclamation of The Republic of West Papua. The proclamation of the independent Republic of West Papua on July 1, 1971, serves one purpose only!
Total rejection of “The Act of Free Choice”, we know it as
The Act of NO choice", August 15, 1962.
The 1st July 1971 proclamation was declared by The senate, The Government and the people of West Papua (“Orang Asli Papua”, indigenous West Papuan Melanesians), from Numbai to Merauke, from Sorong to Baliem, and from Biak to Adi island.
Proklamasi Papua 1 Juli 1971 ( the exact text of proclamation which reads)
"To all the people of Papua, from Numbai to Merauke, from Sorong to Balim (Star Mountains) and from Biak to Adi Island. With the help and blessing of God Almighty, we take this opportunity to declare to you all that today, 1 July 1971, the land and people of Papua have
been proclaimed to be free and independent (de facto and de jure) May God be with us, and may the world be advised, that the true will of the people of Papua to be free and independent in their own homeland has been met.
Victoria, July 1, 1971 On behalf of the people and the government of West Papua".
Seth Jafet Rumkorem (Brigadier-General) and Jacob Hendrik Prai (Head of the Senate)
My uncle was arrested and shot twice by Indonesian security forces. The 3rd time would mean death. The military and their secret agents were coming to his adopted father's house and were looking for him. He did not want to put more trouble on his adopted father so he decided that he would leave them.
His adopted father said you must go back to your family in the Web district. It is much safer over there than here. I can’t protect you any longer.
While my uncle was still at the university, the Indonesian military had already arrested Ludwig Mandacan, who is one of the leaders in the Free Papua Movement in Manokwari . My uncle received a letter from Mr Mandacan to mobilize the students and continue with the fight into the jungle.
The resistance against the Indonesian military continued into the jungle of Keerom regency. Jacob Prai led his men and fought against the Indonesian military. They were very effective because they themselves were locals of the area and knew every exit routes and were winning the war against Indonesia.
Anyway, to cut the story short, in 1978, while being active in the Free Papua Movement or OPM, he was captured in Vanimo, PNG and taken over to Bomana prison in Port Moresby. The Indonesian government wanted him to be deported back to Indonesia, however, the United Nations intervened in his case, and he received political asylum in Sweden.
~~~End~~~
